Well sadly this looked more and more likely given the many troubles that surrounded PayDay developer Starbreeze Studios and the ill-fated co-op title based on The Walking Dead, but IP owner and publisher Skybound Entertainment has canceled its contract with Starbreeze and will now discontinue all efforts related to Overkill’s The Walking Dead.
Skybound sent out the following statement regarding the decision.
As of today, we have terminated our contract with Starbreeze Studios and will discontinue all efforts on OVERKILL’S THE WALKING DEAD.
“Our creators and their stories are the core of Skybound, and since 2014 we have worked hard to expand the world of The Walking Dead into an exceptional Co-op Action FPS. We did our best to work with Starbreeze and resolve many issues that we saw with the game, but ultimately OVERKILL’S THE WALKING DEAD did not meet our standards nor is it the quality that we were promised. We are exceedingly sorry to our fans and share their disappointment in the game. We remain dedicated to providing our fans with the most premium quality content we can offer, and will continue to look for alternative video game options for the IP.”
Overkill’s The Walking Dead suffered a poor launch on PC despite being decent enough, and that, coupled with Starbreeze’s own financial issues, meant the consoles versions were shelved. From there, it was seemingly inevitable that Skybound would have to take action.
The Walking Dead can’t catch a break these days, with Telltale’s episodic game series suffering its own dramas and the TV show getting increasingly lower ratings. Hopefully, Skybound can find a way to rebuild faith in the gaming side of the franchise now.
